What Hulk Hogan's WWE Exit Might Have Looked Like Under Vince McMahon

Hogan passed away aged 71 last month which means his final appearance in WWE will forever be tainted. The Hulkster came out to speak on Raw's Netflix debut, but the booing from the crowd was so loud that he could barely get a word out. Hogan's close friend Jimmy Hart has revealed since the Hall of Famer's passing that he was heartbroken over the crowd reaction he received that night.

Turns out McMahon is pretty upset about it too. Not at the fans, but at WWE for putting Hogan in that position. "You don’t just let him walk out there. He deserved something very, very special. More than anyone, they owe him... I got angry because that’s not the way I would have done it and he deserved much more," McMahon told TMZ.

Pretty surprising that McMahon would openly criticize the way WWE handled something, particularly with his daughter and son-in-law still running the show, two people he presumably still talks to regularly about the business. McMahon also noted that he was upset he wasn't there for the ten-bell salute and tribute WWE did following Hogan's passing.

Could Vince McMahon Have Done Better With Hulk Hogan's Final WWE Appearance?

As for how things would have gone differently if McMahon were still in charge, it's difficult to imagine what exactly the former chairman would have done to ensure Hogan didn't get booed during Raw's Netflix debut. While there was always a risk of Hogan getting booed, there would have been no way of knowing it was going to happen until Hogan was out there.

McMahon could have sent someone else out there to alleviate the boos as well as the pressure on Hogan. With countless legends in the buidling due to the significance of the show, there would have been quite a few people ready to go and likely willing to lend Hogan a hand had someone thought of it in the moment.

Hogan's involvement in the show could have been kept backstage, but it's hard to believe anyone booking the show would have wanted that. You're expecting a pop when that music hits, and McMahon would have unquestionably also sent Hogan out there, even if he claims he'd have done more for the late Superstar.

It's also worth noting that one of Hogan's final appearances under McMahon, if not the final appearance, was the time he dressed up as a pirate for a brief and unmemorable appearance at WrestleMania.

Above all else, it's worth noting that at the time, no one involved in that segment knew that would be the last time Hogan would ever appear on WWE television. Although he was reportedly in poor health for the last few months of his life, he died suddenly and no one saw it coming. WWE would have almost certainly used Hogan again, and used him differently to avoid the boos, but now his final appearance will forever be that unfortunate one for Raw's debut on Netflix.